Into the Twilight
by Slytherin2005
Summary: Harry Potter was ignored for the majority of his early life, while his parents favored his younger brother. Then, one night the Dark Lord attacked his family, and his life is changed, forever. Will feature a Dark Harry.
1. The Death of Terror

_Into the Twilight_

And God stands winding His lonely horn,

And time and the world are ever in flight;

And love is less kind than the grey twilight,

And hope is less dear than the dew of the morn.

William Butler Yeats

**A/N I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any money off of this. This is your standard disclaimer, anything that you recognize is most likely property of J.K. Rowling. Anything that you don't recognize is probably mine.**

_Italics_ – Thoughts

Chapter 1: The Death of Terror

Ever so slowly his eyes fluttered open as a bright beam of sunlight illuminated his face in a beam from the window. Mumbling to himself, the young boy attempted to again reach his blissful world of dreams by covering his head with his black comforter only to be awakened again by the sound of the door to his room opening and soft footsteps approaching his bed. The footsteps stopped at the side of his bed and slowly his comforter was pulled back and a soft voice said, "Come on, Prongslet. It's time to wake up; you know that today is you brother's birthday."

The young Harry Potter rolled over to look at the source of the soft voice to see Remus Lupin, one of his father's best friends from their school days, standing over him. "Remus, do I have to? Just let me sleep," Harry said, "Afterall, no one down there will miss me." Harry muttered this last part to himself with a sad look in his eyes as he pulled the blanket back over his head; although Remus, with his werewolf hearing heard him despite Harry's effort to the contrary.

Remus sighed, he knew of the blatant favoritism that the two Potter parents had for their younger son Mark. Over the four years that he had known Harry, the young boy had always seemed quiet and withdrawn, always considering the consequences of what he was about to do before he did or said anything. He was never careless and despite his young age had already begun to read books on magical theory, although Lily and James brushed this off as a child's attempts to amuse himself by looking at the moving pictures. Despite how much he loved his two friends he could not even begin to comprehend how blind they were when it came to Harry; Remus had seen the boy reading those books and he knew from the look in his eyes that he understood them. Remus quickly blinked and looked around the room finding that he was the only person there. As he made his way down to the kitchen he could hear James lecturing Harry.

"Now boy, your mother, Remus, Sirius, and I are going out to dinner and we are unable to bring Mark along because he is still too young, despite the fact that today is his birthday." James grumbled this and twisted his face into an expression of disgust at the thought of being unable to take his two year old son with him to dinner at a five-star restaurant in muggle London. "Peter was unable to come, and as none of the Order members are available to baby sit you, you WILL be staying here and looking after your younger brother. By Merlin if you break anything in this house, or a single hair on your brothers head is harmed …" James let the sentence trail off as he saw the slightly shocked and what he interpreted as fear appear on his eldest son's face.

James quickly turned around his wife, Lily, walked into the room. "Oh James! Are you sure Mark will be ok by himself. I'm just so worried leaving him alone…" Harry rolled his eyes at his mothers babbling about the safety of his younger brother. _You would think that with all the worrying she does about Mark, that I don't even exist. I mean when was the last time that they worried about MY safety when they went out, when was the last time that they treated me like the do Mark_, Harry glanced over at his brother to see Sirius in his animigus form rolling on his back entertaining the two year-old. _What did I do to deserve to be treated like this, to be ignored, and to receive nothing but their anger. I have done everything I can to make them happy, yet all I ever get is disapproval._

After the departure of his parents Harry had gone to the library of Potter Manor, so that he could spend some time away from his brother and the annoying house elves that his parents owned. Harry slowly started to walk up and down the rows of books in the library attempting to find one that he would understand. After a few minutes of searching he came across Introductory Magical Theory by Madeline Goshwackel. This was the book that he had been searching for, he had spent the last few months reading and attempting to understand the powers that he, his family, and the rest of the Wizarding World had been gifted with. So with his book under his arm, Harry settled himself into a comfy leather chair and prepared for a quiet afternoon alone in the library; without giving a second thought to the fact that he was supposed to be looking after and entertaining Mark.

He knew that he was supposed to watch his brother, but he figured if everyone believed his brother to be so special then he could look out for himself. Afterall he was being entertained by the new quiditch action figure that Sirius had gotten him for his birthday. _Sirius never got me anything like what he gets for Mark. My parents think that I'm strange because all I do is read, however, what they don't consider is that they tell Remus to get me books for my birthday. They encourage my reading and when I do read all I receive is their contempt_. Harry glanced up from the book that he was reading and looked at the window noticing that it was already dark outside; surprised he checked the grandfather clock in the library and saw that it was 8:30. _I guess I better go and put Mark to sleep or my parents will be even angrier with me when they get home_. Harry stood up and stretched despite the early time, he was still tired considering he was only four years old after all. The eldest Potter child walked out the family library, slowly working his way upstairs to tuck his brother into bed.

As young Harry Potter was getting Mark ready for bed, he was unaware of the evil that was slowly approaching his house. The Dark Lord Voldemort, the most feared dark lord since the time of Salazaar Slytherin himself, was making his way towards the Potter's home having just arrived from a Death Eater meeting. The Dark Lord was happy that he had found out the location of the family that had been a thorn in his side for many years. _If it weren't for Wormtail, I would never have found this blasted house_. He quietly thought back to the Death Eater meeting which was held that very night, the one in which he had killed that traitorous bastard Pettigrew, or Wormtail,

_**Flashback**_

_The Dark Lord glanced down at the ring of Death Eaters which stood in a semi-circle before him. He narrowed his eyes at the one on the end of the left side, "What news do you bring me of the Potters, Peter?" The man known as Peter began to shake and stutter uncontrollably._

_Wormtail fell to his knees and kissed the hem of Lord Voldemort's robes. "M…m…my Lord. I have not been trusted with any valuable information as of yet."_

_The Dark Lord snapped his wound out and shouted "Crucio!" He watched as the pathetic man fell to the ground in agony. "Do not lie to me Wormtail!" He watched in pleasure as the man's eyes widened in fear and horror. "Do not lie, I know of your stupid nickname, and I know why you have it. I also know that you were made the Potter's secret keeper. Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, Wormtail, Lord Voldemort always knows…always. Crucio!" The fat man on the ground began to writhe in unimaginable pain as the cruciatus curse was applied again. "I will ask one more time, where are the Potters?" The Dark Lord all but hissed out the last sentence._

_Wormtail gave a great sigh of relief when the curse was finally lifted. "P…Please my lord no more! T…th…the Potters live at…N…Nu…Number 8…G…Godric's Hollow." _

_The Dark Lord's lips twisted into an unholy smirk, as he raised his wand and shouted "Sanguinus coquere!" A sickly beam of red light with cracks that looked like black lightening shot from the Dark Lord's wand. Wormtail was thrown back from the feet of the Dark Lord to the center of the ring of death eaters, he suddenly began to swat at his skin. The Heir of Slytherin looked upon Peter Pettigrew with satisfaction as he began shriek in pain. Wormtail began to swat at his skin and his body started to turn a bright red color and smoke began to rise off of him. Then, suddenly, his entire body exploded outward and flaming blood shot out and hit a shield that Voldemort had erected. Peter Pettigrew, AKA Wormtail one of the last spies for the Light, had died from the blood boiling curse. Voldemort looked out at his inner circle and said, "Let this be a lesson to all those who would think of betraying me. The Dark Order is for life." With that having been said the Dark Lord apparated out, leaving eleven shaking death eaters in his wake; one of whom was visibly shaken by the display._

_**End Flashback**_

The Dark Lord smirked to himself as he reached the front door of the Potter's residence at Godric's Hollow. He raised his wand and muttered, "Reducto", and the door was blown off its hinges smashing into the opposite wall. Voldemort seemingly glided into the house and reached out with his aura and sensed two powers on the upper level. Slowly the Dark Lord began to ascend the stairs and when he reached the top he turned left down the hallway and stopped in front of the last door. With a flick of his wand the door snapped open and he saw a child of about four or five standing over a crib holding what appeared to be a baby. Just as Voldemort raised his wand to end the life of the elder child, the boy turned and looked at him with emerald green eyes. The Dark Lord glanced at the baby and reached out with his aura, and saw that while he would one day be powerful he was nothing compared to what the older boy could possibly achieve.

Harry peered up at the monster before him with his brilliant green eyes; he could practically sense the darkness coming off the figure before him. Harry, enticed by the darkness that he felt, reached out with his hand to touch the black clad demon. Voldemort glanced briefly at the Potter's second child, Mark, and while he sensed a great amount of power he knew it was not the child that he was looking for; the Dark Lord then turned his attention back to the Potter's first born. Voldemort glanced down at the child before him, and stared deeply into his aura. Shocked at what he saw Voldemort stepped back and muttered to the young boy, "You are power young one. Staring into your eyes is like staring into the heart of magic. Even now, I can see all those that you will slay etched onto your soul. I cannot allow a power such as yours to achieve its full potential. You will undoubtedly oppose me due to the nature of your family; I cannot allow a threat to my plans to live."

With these words the monster raised his wand and hissed out the two words that had long ago damned his soul, "Avada Kedavra." With a great whoosh the emerald green light sped out of the Dark Lord's wand and struck Harry who jumped up with a loud cry. Voldemort looked on in horror as the killing curse hit the young Potter but instead of stealing his soul, it awoke a powerful whirlwind of shadows and magic which swirled around the boy, wrecking the room and slowly bringing down the house. With a noise that sounded like the clanging of metal a bright green light shot out of the swirling magic straight for the Dark Lord. Voldemort had no time to dodge as the curse struck him full on in the chest; the pain was unimaginable, much worse than the cruciatus curse. There was no time for Voldemort contemplate what had happened to him as his soul was torn from his body and flung into the world.

Four year-old Harry Potter stared at the charred remains of Voldemort lying before him; something wet began to trickle down his forehead. Slowly, he reached up with his left hand and touched his head only to remove it and discover it covered in blood. This shocked Harry out of his reverie so that he noticed the cries of his younger brother, whom he looked upon with disdain. _What a stupid child, he's perfectly safe. Why doesn't he stop that awful noise; of course he won't be quiet, no one has ever told him to be quiet. He always was the favorite, even before he was born my parents barely treated me better than they do now_. Harry always knew that his parents liked Mark better, for no reason other than the fact that he, Harry, was the quiet one while Mark, barely two years old, was constantly talking. As he was watching his brother, he barely noticed the house falling down around him; Harry slowly turned around to walk away believing that his parents would still ignore him despite his accomplishment, the destruction of the Heir of Slytherin. The eldest Potter slowly backed away from his younger brother barely escaping a piece of flaming debris falling from the ceiling, but Mark was not so lucky. As he cried out in fear of what was happening around him, he was struck on the chest by a heart shaped piece of glass, leaving what would later be one of the most famous marks in the Wizarding World. Harry looked upon his younger brother one last time before fleeing what had been his home for the first four years of his life and running into the inky black night.

As Harry Potter ran into the night a figure apparated into Hogsmeade. Quickly the black cloaked figure sprinted up the road from Hogsmeade, past the Forbidden Forest and to the front gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The figure strode through the castle to a statue of a gargoyle and barked out, "Lemmon drop"; slowly the gargoyle began to ascend and the shadowy figure stepped onto the steps that appeared. When he reached the top he opened the door to reveal Albus Dumbledore.

"What is it, Severus?" The venerable old wizard asked. Severus Snape, the Order's spy in the Dark Order collapsed into a chair.

With a sigh, Snape ran a hand over his face and looked Dumbledore in the eye. "The Dark Lord has just left to attack the Potter house, he tortured Pettigrew until he snapped. The two children are going to die." With this information Dumbledore stood up from his desk and walked briskly out of the room.

**A/N --- Well there's the first chapter. I hope you all liked it. I'm promising right now that I will not abandon this story and that you can expect regular updates. Please review, this is my first fanfic ever and I would like to know how I'm doing. Thanks. **


	2. An Unexpected Result

_Into the Twilight_

And God stands winding His lonely horn,

And time and the world are ever in flight;

And love is less kind than the grey twilight,

And hope is less dear than the dew of the morn.

William Butler Yeats

**A/N I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any money off of this. This is your standard disclaimer, anything that you recognize is most likely property of J.K. Rowling. Anything that you don't recognize is probably mine.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, and yes this is my first fic; the school that I go to heavily focuses on writing and we have to pretty much write papers for every class but math. Some of you mentioned that Harry was using big words for a four year old, all he does is read so he's bound to have a larger vocabulary than the normal child.**

**Now onto the chapter.**

_Italics_ – Thoughts

Chapter Two: An Unexpected Result

Gentle music drifted through the room and an upper class attitude almost permeated the air of the expensive restaurant in downtown London. The soft sound of crystal glasses tapping against each other with the many toasts to one thing or another being said around the room. The many families and friends enjoying their night on the town without a care in the world were suddenly interrupted when a series of rapid popping noises. An old man with a long flowing beard clad in elegant robes of purple and yellow escorted by a squadron of Aurors dressed in their uniform robes of pale grey with white hems appeared and quickly surveyed the room.

The old man quickly swept across the foyer and then the dance floor to a table with four friends. As he stopped to stand next to their table he said, "Lily, James, I'm afraid that I need you to accompany me to my office for an emergency Order meeting. I have lowered the wards surrounding the castle itself for a brief period of time so that they members may enter in the fastest amount of time. I would ask that you please use your emergency portkeys."

James looked up at the Headmaster, "What is it, Headmaster? Does it have anything to do with Mark?"

Albus Dumbledore looked down at the floor and his eyes hardened so that they looked like blue diamonds. He started to say something, then thought better of it and looked up and spoke in a hushed voice, "I cannot say here, it would be better if you found out what I have to tell you at the Order meeting." Lily looked up at Albus' words and screamed, "Don't you lie to us you bastard, you know that there is something wrong with Mark! Oh my poor baby boy, my sweet baby…!" Lily trailed into loud wails of grief as the tears began to poor down her face.

James took Lily's hand and took the portkey that was offered by the Headmaster and said "3…2…1…activate." Suddenly, they disappeared. The remaining wizards stood there looking at each other for a moment before Dumbledore turned to the Auror who stood just behind his left shoulder and ordered, "Obliviate all the muggles, then report back to the ministry. I'll ask Kingsley and Alastor to update you on what has happened." Then he aparated out just as he heard the Auror snap out a quick "Sir, Yes Sir!"

James and Lily appeared in Dumbledore's office just as the rest of the Order was arriving. James looked over at the Headmaster's desk and saw the old man stroking his pet phoenix, Fawkes; in James' mind the man had never looked so tired nor so old before. As soon as everyone had arrived Dumbledore motioned for the members of the Order to take their seats. Slowly he stood up and surveyed the room with his piercing blue eyes. "I have grave news for you all tonight." He began in a solemn voice, "Now I ask that you do not interrupt me until I finish, one month ago Peter Pettigrew came and offered his services to me as a spy in the Dark Lord's inner circle. He knew that the Dark Lord would readily accept him because Peter was an unregistered animigus. I agreed to his plan, and Peter had been feeding me information ever since." Upon the announcement that Peter Pettigrew was a death eater shouts of rage arose from throughout the room. _Peter was our secret keeper. By Merlin, we trusted a death eater with our lives, he betrayed us to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._ James looked up as Dumbledore continued speaking. "I have just returned to the Potter house and found Mark Potter alive, with the dead body of the Dark Lord lying before him. Mark has a curse scar in the shape of a heart upon his chest, and it is my belief that Voldemort attempted to curse him with the Killing Curse, only to have Mark somehow reflect it."

Just as Dumbledore finished speaking the fire roared to life and two aurors stepped out. They glanced at the assembled group of people and walked straight towards the Headmaster. "Headmaster Dumbledore, the head of one Peter Pettigrew was found upon a pike in Diagon Alley, with the words 'The Dark Order is for Life' floating above him with the Dark Mark."

Upon hearing this announcement all hell broke loose in the office as people began screaming and shouting about Dark Lords and Poor Peter. James sat there in shock as the news that one of his best friends was dead. Dumbledore managed to silence everyone with a few blasts from his wand and he informed the aurors and the recently arrived Minister of Magic about the defeat of the Dark Lord. "It is a tragedy about what has happened to Peter, but he will be remembered as the last causality in this war of Light against Dark. Mark Potter will also be known as The Boy-Who-Lived, and the defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort." Upon this announcement and upon the knowledge that their son was going to be alright, Lily and James began to smile uncontrollably. In all the excitement they had completely forgotten to ask what had happened to little Harry.

If one had been paying attention on the morning of June 23 they would have noticed a young boy of no more than four years of age wandering aimlessly down the streets of London. The young child kept his head bowed and did not realize that the buildings became more rundown and decrepit the further he went. He slowly raised his emerald eyes and began to take in his surroundings. He quickly raised a hand and wiped the blood off of his forehead. He looked at the street sign closest to where he was standing and thought to himself, _McMillan? I have no idea where that is. I've been so caught up in what happened last night that I've gotten lost. This is all my parents and my idiotic brother's fault, if they had just taken me with them neither of us would have been home when Lord Voldemort came, and I would not have had to risk my life saving my pathetic brother. I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM!_ Slowly tears began to stream down his cheeks. Young Harry Potter slowly walked over to a pile of boxes and other garbage and began to search for a relatively clean box. _Well it looks like I'll have to sleep in one of these until I can find a more suitable place for a pureblood wizard to live._ With that thought, Harry began to pull the boxes together into a makeshift shelter.

As Harry was building his cardboard home, he heard a loud crash from across the street; and his head snapped up in time to see two constables dragging a boy who looked to be around thirteen years old out into the street. Harry dove behind his boxes as he heard one of the officers say to the boy, "You know you're not supposed to be out here alone, boy! This is the third time this week. If we catch you out of the orphanage again we'll make sure that your Warden will give you a punishment that you'll never forget." The boy began to scream at the two men as they forcefully pulled him down the street and around the corner to a waiting police car.

Harry peered out from behind the dumpster and just as the car turned the corner. As he was about to slip from behind the dumpster a flash of movement caught his eye, he turned and saw a two foot long snake poised, with a hood flared out around its head and neck, ready to strike him given the slightest provocation. Harry took a quick step backwards, "**_Stop!_**" he said; and if it were possible he could have sworn he saw the snake almost jump in surprise. Slowly the snake's hood closed until it was lying flat against its neck. "**_You speak?_**" Harry looked at the snake incredulously, "**_You can understand me? Wait, how can I understand you? How is this possible?_**"

The snake seemed to snort in amusement, "**_It seems as though you are a parselmouth, young one. This means that you are one of the few wizards powerful enough to talk to serpents. In the history of the Wizarding World there have been very few parselmouths._**" Harry slumped against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the cracked pavement. He looked up at the sky and saw crows circling overhead; he turned back to the snake and just looked at it in amazement. _I'm a parselmouth. How in Merlin's name did I become a parselmouth. As far as I know the Potter line is directly descended from Godric Gryffindor; and if that is the case there is no way that I could be talking to this snake. This brings up another question, how is it that this snake knows of the Wizarding World, let alone its history and the history of the few Parselmouths that have existed_.

Harry was suddenly snapped out of his reverie and he looked back at the snake who was looking at him expectantly, "**_My name is Harry Potter. Honestly I have no idea how I came into possession of such a noble and dark gift, I have been told in the past that all parselmouths were evil. How is it that you know the history of the Wizarding World?_**" As said this snake seemed to snort.

It reared its head up and looked Harry in the eye, "**_My name is Sasha. You came into possession of this gift as a result of the curse which gave you that scar._**" She said this as she pointed the tip of her tail at his forehead."**_The gift which you possess is not dark, young one. If you learn anything from me, remember what I am about to tell you. There is no dark, nor light, there are only shades of grey; there is no good, nor evil, there is only power and those to weak to seek it. You ask how it is that I know so much about the Wizarding World; I know because my mother knew. When I was born my mother's master, who was also a speaker preformed a magic ritual which gave me the knowledge that my mother had; her name was Nagini._**" As she finished speaking she coiled up and raised her head to stare at him as he absorbed the sudden onrush of information.

Harry stared at her and slowly began to nod his head as he once again was lost in his thoughts. _What she says does make sense; I should find out ways to become more powerful, I'll definitely need it in the time to come if I wish to have revenge upon my parents for abandoning me, and my brother for steeling my parents from me. They will regret what they did to me!_ Harry slowly blinked and looked back down at Sasha, "**_Sasha would you like to accompany me and to be companion?_**" He held his hand down to her level, and in response she slithered up his arm and wrapped around his bicep with her head resting on his shoulder facing his neck. Harry turned around and thought he ran into a wall as he fell backwards. He looked up at a man dressed in a blue uniform, he gulped, and it was one of the same men who had dragged the screaming teenager back to the orphanage earlier that morning. "What in da hell do you think you're doin'? You damn well betta have a good explanation for dis!" When Harry just stared up at the man in fear the constable reached down and grabbed Harry by his wrist and began to drag him onto his feet. "It's off to the orphanage for you, boy! That wardens gonna beat you so bad you won't be able to leave the building for a week!" Harry began to shake as he quickly whispered to Sasha not to harm the man; he began to think that coming to London was not such a good idea.

**A/N There's the second chapter. If you're curious as to what the snake looks like just click here****http/ picture that snake except its only 2ft. long at the moment.**

**Please review and expect an update soon.**


	3. A Terrible Beating

_Into the Twilight_

And God stands winding His lonely horn,

And time and the world are ever in flight;

And love is less kind than the grey twilight,

And hope is less dear than the dew of the morn.

William Butler Yeats

**A/N I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any money off of this. This is your standard disclaimer, anything that you recognize is most likely property of J.K. Rowling. Anything that you don't recognize is probably mine.**

**There will be very little of Lily, James, Dumbledore, Mark and the others except in flashbacks which will most likely occur in the second story A Dream of Death, if a majority of you disagree with this, then I'll just write chapters with those characters in this story. But this chapter will most likely not feature those characters. **

_Italics_ – Thoughts

**_Bold Italics_** – Parseltongue

Chapter 3: The Orphanage

As Harry was dragged down the street by the large police officer, he quietly hissed to Sasha not to harm anyone. When Harry began to realize that he was not going to be let off with a warning considering he had only been caught this one time; when he began to struggle the constable only gripped his wrist harder. When they arrived at the car the larger man wrenched the door open and threw the young boy into the back causing him to land on his wrist at an awkward angle causing it to snap which in turn resulted in the boy eliciting a hiss of pain. "**_Young one, are you alright?_**" Harry briefly glanced down at Sasha and saw her head extending from his sleeve and he had time to hiss, "**_Don't do anything stupid, leave and find me later, I don't want to take any chance of you being caught…_**" before he passed out from the pain.

When he awoke he was lying on a hard cot in a dark room. He tried to sit up in the bed but this motion caused his arm to shift, painfully reminding him of his broken wrist. He glanced down at it and was surprised to see that it was wrapped in a white cloth, although it was still quite painful. As Harry was taking in his surroundings he noticed with a sigh that Sasha had listened to him and abandoned him; in his heart he doubted that he would see her again. Harry looked up at the room as his eyes adjusted to the dark and started to take in his surroundings, the paint on the walls was peeling reveling the dry wall beneath. There was water dripping from the ceiling, from one of the many cracked pipes which ran through the decrepit building, and finally he looked at the door. It was an old wooden door with an elaborate brass handle, as he was staring at it the door knob began to shudder.

Suddenly the door burst open, and Harry jumped back in fear. A tall man with pale skin and thinning blonde hair stormed into the room with a coiled belt in his right hand. His eyes scanned the room searching for any sign of his query; after a few seconds of searching he stumbled over to Harry and grabbed him roughly by his hair. He reeked of alcohol and when he spoke his voice was slurred showing that he was obviously drunk. "Brat! I thought I told all of you never to leave this place without my permission again! I swear to God that I'm going to give you the worst damn beating that you ever had!" With that said the man threw Harry's frail body across the room so that he landed on the hard cot.

Harry looked up at the man in fear, he wasn't even this afraid on the night that he had left his filthy parents house forever. _I know this is going to hurt a lot, but physical pain I can deal with; at least I don't have to deal with my parents anymore. It's all their fault that I'm here in the first place, I hate them!_ "Please, sir, what did I…"

"Shut up you filthy orphan!" CRACK. The belt that the man was holding unraveled and he snapped it forward striking Harry on the side of his face, leaving a freshly bleeding cut trailing from just above his eyebrow slicing down his cheek to the middle of his jaw. Harry fell back in shock and horror at the fact that this man was low enough to abuse children was cemented in his mind. Harry curled up into a ball to protect his exposed arms and face, as the makeshift whip descended again and again. Ever so slowly the cracks of the whip against his clothing slowed, until the altogether stopped. The eldest Potter child slowly rolled over, attempting desperately to ignore the pain that shot up in his back. He looked up at the cracked window and saw that it was dark outside and he realized that he must have passed out from the pain.

"**_Why? Why do these things always happen to me?_**" Harry hissed this out, hardly realizing that he had spoke parseltongue in his daze of pain. "**_Because young one, people's lives are static. They switch from one thing to the next, they are bound to their roles in life; and then they see you, unfettered by these chains of fate, and they are drawn to you for good or ill. You are a natural leader, despite your age, and because of that they are drawn to you, I will explain these things to you when you are older._**" Harry snapped his head around in surprise ignoring the sharp pain in his upper back. He caught sight of Sasha slithering through the gap that was left by the door; she slowly glided towards the man who had taken it upon himself to be Harry's welcoming committee the previous night. "**_Do not hurt him Sasha, he was drunk and was most likely unaware of his actions. I want you to promise me that you will not harm anyone while we are in their care in this place; they are giving us shelter. Where did you go after I was thrown into the car?_**" Sasha slithered up the leg pole of the cot and coiled up near Harry's head.

Harry glanced down at Sasha as lovingly as a four year-old was able and started to stroke her head, Harry could have sworn that she was smiling. "**_I was able to follow you; however I was unable to find a path into the building…_**" Sasha's sentence was interrupted by the door being slammed open and a boy of no more then fourteen years of age.

"What the hell is going on in here, what happened to Mr. Hanson?" He said all this is a very timid slightly rushed voice. Harry glanced up at him noticed that the boy was fairly thin, and had a black eye; he possessed spiky black hair as well as painted black nails.

"He was beating me, and he passed out," Harry replied tersely.

The other boy nodded in understanding and walked over to Harry, not noticing as Sasha slid up the young boy's sleeve and wrapped around his bicep. "They call me Squeak, because I'm so small. Come on lets get you cleaned up." Harry allowed the older boy to pick him up in his arms and to carry him out of the room.

**A/N: Sorry that this is such a short chapter, but it was a filler to get Harry to the orphanage and I have three 15,000 word papers due on Friday so I have had no time to write Into the Twilight but I wanted to give you an update so you wouldn't think I abandoned you. Again I'm sorry about the short chapter, the next one will be at least 4,000-5,000 words long and you can expect it by this weekend or the beginning of next week. **

**In the next chapter Harry will live his life at the orphanage, scenes from Mark's life, and Harry receives his invitation to learn magic.**


	4. Authors Note

**A/N: I am terribly sorry that I have been unable to update Into the Twilight as quickly as I had hoped I would have been able. My teachers have been piling homework on me left and right, combine that with PSAT's and SAT's, and I hardly have any time to sleep. I guarantee that I will have chapter 4 of Into the Twilight up within the next week. **

**On another note, I have seriously been considering writing a Kingdom of Heaven/Harry Potter Cross Over. This will be called The Intrepid Warrior. Instead of killing Harry as a baby, Voldemort sent him back in time where he was taken in by Godfrey, Baron of Iberlin and named Balian. Godfrey will give Balian/Harry to his wife, and Balian/Harry will be raised and eventually become a blacksmith. Then the story will follow the plot of the movie until just after the Battle for Jerusalem. Then Balian/Harry will be brought back to his own time, and will face the challenges that lie ahead. I think a story where Harry is "The Perfect Knight" would be interesting. If anyone has suggestions…email me Revan 1234321 yahoo . com (just remove the spaces). The titleof the Kingdom of Heaven Crossover comes from the poem _The Intrepid Warrior:_**

The warrior's path to God must be trod

with a heart of compassion.

The one who would walk this path,

must be armed with

a sword free from anger,

a shield devoid of lust, and

a bow, arrow and quiver, free from greed.

He must trod the path

with a bowed head,

and a one-pointed mind.

His eyes must be bathed in tears,

from a soul that is overflowing

with its own unconditional Love.

For such a warrior, diligent and true,

the destination will be reached

with the next step.


	5. To Fall Is Such a Quiet Thing

_Into the Twilight_

And God stands winding His lonely horn,

And time and the world are ever in flight;

And love is less kind than the grey twilight,

And hope is less dear than the dew of the morn.

William Butler Yeats

**A/N I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any money off of this. This is your standard disclaimer, anything that you recognize is most likely property of J.K. Rowling. Anything that you don't recognize is probably mine. **

Chapter 4: To Fall Is Such a Quiet Thing

The years at the St. Michael's Orphanage had passed by quickly for Harry. He had been accepted by the boys there, however, because of his small stature he was still the favorite targets of the many bullies at the orphanage; he was also the favorite 'punching bag' of Mr. Johansson, the drunk man who had beat Harry to the brink of death upon his arrival at the orphanage. In the past six years, Mr. Johansson would often look for the slightest fault in whatever Harry did as an excuse to beat him, once again, until Harry lay upon death's door. Over the years Sasha had kept her promise and had not harmed anyone, but had looked out for Harry's wellbeing, and now Harry's tenth birthday approached. At the orphanage Sasha had been Harry's only true friend and because of the knowledge that she possessed from his mother, she had become his teacher; she would teach him what she called 'the ways of Slytherin', how to sly and cunning and to do whatever it took to reach his goals. She also taught him the history some of the many dark power of the Wizarding world. Over the years she had taught him many things about good and evil.

Harry remembered back to a conversation that they had had almost four months ago:

_Harry slowly turned his head and lifted it off his pillow to see his closest friend Sasha watching him closely. "Sasha, there has been something that I've been wondering for a long time…"_

_The snake raised her head and hissed out, "Yes young one, ask and I will do my best to answer." Harry slowly sat up in the bed and said, "You have told me that the Dark Lord will come back one day, and that one day if I am strong enough he will be my teacher. However, you also say that he will not be the same as he once was. So what will he be, a Dark Wizard or a Light Wizard?"_

_Sasha swung her head around to glance at the door of the long room that the many orphans slept in. "Does it matter," she responded, "Of course it does, such titles allow you to break the world into Light and Dark; to categorize it. Perhaps he was neither, and he held both as what they are, pieces of a whole, know that he will be your teacher and that is enough."_

_Harry snorted and leaned forward towards his snake, "I asked for answers, Sasha, not more cryptic words."_

_Sasha bowed her head and said, "What do you wish to hear, that he once followed the Light Codes laid down by Merlin himself, that he once felt the call of the Dark, that he held the Wizarding World by its throat. That for every good deed he ever did, as few as they were, he brought even greater harm upon the world. That perhaps what the greatest of this generation Dark Wizards learned of evil they learned from him? What does it matter now? There is only so much comfort in such things, it is not who he will be."_

_Harry beginning to get frustrated by this point shot out, "If the past is as important as you say, then I would hear it."_

_Sasha coiled up and looked up into Harry's eyes for a long moment. She finally seemed to nod her head and began to speak, "There are ancient places on this planet, where few tread. Ancient centers of learning, of knowledge. Yet, the Dark Lord did not walk alone, and to be united by hatred is a fragile alliance at best. But his will was not law, there were disagreements, ambition, and hunger for power. Those who traveled with him attempted to cast him out, to exile him. However, the Dark Lord struck them down with little effort and took their strength…Take what strength you may from this tale, young one, in you all our hopes rest."_

There were also four adages and anecdotes that she was often fond of repeating:

"_Destiny, chance, fate fortune – they're all just ways of claiming your successes without claiming your failures." Gerrard_

"_Human tenderness is simply weakness wrapped in a pretty little package." Voldemort_

"_The fatal flaw in every plan is the assumption that you know more than your enemy." Volrath_

"_An advisor once asked the Dark Lord Grindlewald how much more power he would take before it would be enough. 'I have no need of fools who can imagine enough' Grindlewald told the advisor's corpse." _

_And perhaps the most popular saying of his pretty little snake, "War glides on the simplest updrafts while peace struggles against hurricane winds. It is the way of the world. It must change." The Arch-Angel Radiant to a Lesser Angel_

And when Harry asked what they meant she would always respond by saying, "You will know when you were older." Although Harry was old enough to realize that the first four sayings seemingly advocated violence while the last, opposed it, it all confused him.

--------------------------------------

The light poured through the open window and splashed across the long room. Slowly, one by one, the many young boys ages six through seventeen began to rise to start the day. They silently made their way through the quiet orphanage so not to wake their caretaker Mr. Johansson, who they knew would beat them to within an inch of their life if he woke up before breakfast was ready.

The last boy to rise was also one of the smallest. Slowly he threw the threadbare covers off his body and sat up rubbing his eyes. He glanced around the room noticing that the only ones who were still asleep were the ones who would soon reach adulthood and had nothing to fear from the bloodthirsty caretaker. Growing up in a Catholic orphanage had taught Harry many things, the least of which was that while there was a God, he didn't give a damn about what happened to the orphans at the hellhole that they called home. Over the years Harry had taken great interest in the legends of the Catholic Church, especially those of the Fallen Angel Lucifer and his followers. His favorite myth about Lucifer was when Lucifer confronted the Arch-Angel Gabriel upon the field of battle; and when Lucifer saw the tears that Gabriel shed for those who had died, both Light and Dark, he turned to the Arch-Angel and said "Why do you weep for the dead? I rejoice, for they have died for me. You must remember Gabriel, that there is purity in all things. Even hatred." With these words, the Wrath of God descended upon the battlefield and swept Satan and his armies back to the jaws of Hell.

Over the years, Harry Potter had become far more ruthless than he was when he had left his families home all those years ago. His hatred for the Potter family and the Light still burned hotter than the hottest fires of Hell. As the Priest at the Orphanage's church was fond of saying, "The deepest circles of Hell are reserved for traitors." In Harry's mind that's exactly what the Light and his family was, traitors who would suffer eternally for their treachery. However, this morning was different than most mornings in that when Harry came down the stairs he saw for the first time the caretaker actually beating a child to death with a wooden bat. Harry quickly hissed to Sasha and watched with pleasure as she slid down to the floor and quickly across it. The bastard didn't even know what hit him when Sasha reared up and sunk her fangs into his neck pumping him full of her deadly venom. Quickly and quietly she slipped through the cracks in the floorboards.

**A/N Bad Chapter I know, however I figured I needed to update since I'm sure some of you thought I abandoned the story. Anyway, review with your opinions and I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, this was just a filler anyway and I needed to start Harry down his path. I know you'll love the next chapter, I have most of it written so the more reviews I get the faster it will be posted.**


	6. Chapter 6

AUTHORS NOTE

My faithful readers,

It is time for a wonderful:

AUTHORS NOTE

After seeing that there is an update and then noticing that it is an author's note, many of you will probably want to kill me. Your worst fear is that I'm abandoning this story, don't worry that is not the case. I have simply lost interest for the moment, and yea I know its been a year or two. I simply don't have any fresh ideas. Well I do but they're for another story. This story will be rewritten, _Into the Twilight_ is my brain child and it will not be abandoned.

On a lighter note I will be starting a new fanfic, it's a crossover between Harry Potter and Magic: The Gathering. This story takes place right after the duel in the cemetery between Voldemort and Harry Potter. During the duel Voldemort hits Harry with a spell that sends him to a different plain of existence, Terisiare, a land that is perpetually covered in ice and darkness. There he is found by a wandering mage, Voska, who takes young Harry under his wing, gives him the name of Jodah, and teaches the boy to wield one of the five colors of magic. I have yet to decide what color Harry will wield. There are five colors:

**White** is the color of temptation and innocence, purity and civility. People characterized by this color love life and longevity but do so without excess or grandeur. Some see white as childish – a return to youth – but others know it to be filled with focus and a desire to live an uncluttered life. White is for the honest, the righteous and eager, the decent and civil-minded who will stand up to protect justice and honor. It is the color of plains and temples, the color of the scholar and the virtuous knight alike. White is for those who believe in a cause and believe in themselves, for those unafraid to stand up in the face of adversity.

**Green** is the balance between extremes. Those who favor green are solid people with easy manners. They aren't impulsive, as are those who favor red, or withdrawn like those who favor blue. Those associated with green are socially well-adjusted and organic. They are conventional, yet constantly on the go, and have a taste for the good things in life. Green has, on occasion, been associated with jealousy or inexperience, but those who have a broader understanding know that green is natural, fresh, wise, and comforting, and those characterized by it show a sensitivity to social customs and etiquette. Green provides abundance and resources, it is passive and combative at the same time, and calls to those who want to be grounded in their natural surroundings.

**Red** is the color of release, the hue of outward expression and excitement. It is hard to be indifferent about red. It may be loved or feared, but it is seldom disregarded. It is characterized as aggressive, vigorous, and given to impulse and mood. Those associated with red are sometimes accused of lacking patience or possessing a quick temper, but red also embodies a fervent passion and feeling for fellow beings. Red is signified by fire, blood, lava, and emotion. It manifests itself as bursts of outward expression and outspoken tirades. Red characterizes whose who know what needs to be done and aren't afraid to do it, for those who want results and action instead of deliberation and debate, for those who like the cathartic pleasures of the flame.

**Black**, the symbol of death and despair, can be characterized as morbid, impatient, incorporeal, and stagnant. It is the color of pollution and pestilent, festering swamps. Those who show fondness for this color are not the type to show off. They will impress those worthy of their time by their real substance and weight. Black leans on the side of misery and darkness, but can at the same time be mighty and dignified. Black is a stark color, the beacon of nothingness, but those who favor this color abhor inevitability. They would hold to the present forever if they could and they will probably try. Black is for those who hide their darker side behind an air of sophistication, for those who lurk in alleyways and dark corners. Above all, Black is for those who are willing to pay the price of greatness.

**Blue**, sometimes called the color of distinction, is characterized by calm hands and a reflective mind. A natural sedative, blue is the color of deliberation and introspection, conservatism and acceptance. Blue has almost universal appeal and is considered to be the most aesthetically appealing color. Blue is the color of respect and wisdom. But those who lean toward blue sometimes use reason for selfish and self-justified purposes. It is the color of control and passive aggression as well as the color of the sea and the sky. Blue is for those contemplative people who exercise caution in words and actions and for those who always weigh the options.

I would appreciate it if you would leave a review with which color Harry/Jodah should focus in the beginning. This will be a long story, probably broken up into a number of books. The first book being how Harry got to Terisiare and was raised and ended up at the Conclave of Mages. The Second book will deal with Harry returning to Britain, and what happens when he returns. The Third book will deal with Harry's battle with Voldemort.

Each Chapter will begin with an excerpt from Magic: The Gathering about Jodah, the man who Harry would eventually become, in order to provide information on who he was/is/will be. And in order to convey information that is not relevant to specific chapters. Here is the exerpt for Chapter 1 Book 1:

_Through the centuries there are a number of legendary figures that have come to us from the time of the Dark – figures, such as Ith, the horrific Rag Man, Vervamon the Elder, and Tivadar of Thorn. Yet one figure is an enigma among these enigmas. Time and again throughout the period of the Dark – and up to the end of the Ice Age itself – there is reference to a folk figure known as Jodah. It has been suggested that Jodah is the surname of a family of sorcerers, or a honorific title of respect, or that Jodah is a previously unknown Planeswalker. The fact remains that Jodah (be he one or many) is today regarded as one of the founders of magic as we now know it._

Leave me a review and I plan on updating the first chapter with in the next week or so. This is going to be a long story so stick with me on this. _Into the Twilight_ will also be updated during this time period, so HOORAY.

Slytherin 2005


End file.
